China's battery industry is widening its lead at home and abroad. Market leader CATL posted record profits while expanding its dominance in overseas electric vehicle (EV) markets. The results underscore the growing imbalance between battery suppliers and automakers.
China's falling robotaxi supply chain costs could help push the global autonomous taxi market to US$1 trillion by 2040, with Waymo and Tesla leading worldwide as Baidu, Xpeng and WeRide scale rapidly in China, according to Morgan Stanley.
China is increasingly viewing 2026 as the launch year for sodium-ion batteries, as the technology's cost advantages in the energy storage market become more visible. The latest analysis from Bernstein and Morgan Stanley says sodium batteries are no longer just a low-cost alternative to lithium batteries, but are emerging as a complementary technology alongside them.
South Korea's hydrogen rail commercialization is entering the final stretch, with Hyundai Rotem, a unit of Hyundai Motor Group, building hydrogen trains equipped with Hyundai Motor's in-house fuel cell system. The first commercial service is expected as early as 2029, but a 2024 shutdown of hydrogen trains in Foshan, China has raised questions about economic viability.
LG Energy Solution (LGES) is emerging as a key battery supplier for humanoid robots, as demand for high-performance batteries shifts from electric vehicles to physical AI systems with tighter space, weight and runtime requirements.
